Bottle case inverter



Oct. 16, 1962 c. CHALICH ET AL 3,058,606

BOTTLE CASE INVERTER Filed June 25, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 16, 1962 c. CHALICH ETAL 3,058,606

BOTTLE CASE INVERTER Filed June 25, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORSZ CHARLES: CHALlCH and JOHN +1. BEARD ATTORNEYS Oct. 16, 1962 c. CHALICH ETAL BOTTLE CASE INVERTER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 25, 1959 INVENTORS CHARLES CHAucn and ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice 3,058,606 Patented Oct. 16, 1962 3,058,606 BOTTLE CASE INVERTER Charles Chalich and John H. Beard, Salisbury, N.C., assignors to Taylor Manufacturing Company, Inc., Salisbury, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed June 25, 1959, Ser. No. 822,771 8 Claims. (Cl. 214-308) This inventon generally relates to apparatus for cleaning containers such as bottle cases and the like and, more especially, to a simple and elfective means for automatically inverting bottle cases and analogous articles with extreme rapidity and to return the same to original, upright, position so as to dislodge and dump any dust, trash or other foreign matter out of the cases.

The inverting of bottle cases by means of automatic machines is not unusual in the bottling art. Such machines have been expensive to manufacture and maintain, have included an extremely large number of different parts and, more importantly, they have had to employ auxiliary means for assisting in the removal of foreign matter from the bottle cases, even though they may have been inverted. This was due to the fact that the inversion of the cases by prior automatic deviceshas been performed relatively slowly and cases were moved from upright to inverted position where they dwelled, momentarily, before being returned to upright position so that, when the cases came to rest upon being inverted, there was not a suflicient jolt imparted to the container or case to dislodge all foreign matter therein. Prior apparatus of this type is disclosed in United States Patent No. 2,832,090, granted to G. M. Ross, on April 29, 1958, for example, and wherein auxiliary devices, such as blasts of air or means for vibrating the cases are used for removing foreign matter from inverted cases.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved bottle case inverting apparatus which operates in accurately timed relation to the feeding of successive bottle cases thereto and which imparts a rapid inverting movement to each successive case, which inverting movement terminates with a sudden jolt or jarring stop which is further pronounced by instantly returning the cases to upright position.

It is another object of this invention to provide apparatus of the character described including a novel carriage for receiving each successive case and inverting the same and then returning the same to upright position, and wherein each successive case, after being inverted and returned to upright position, is ejected from the carriage or case receiver by a succeeding case.

It is still another object of this invention to provide apparatus of the character described including a novel driving mechanism in which a motive means is provided for intermittently imparting movement to a conveyor for feeding successive cases to the case receiving and inverting device and which operates in synchronism with, but in alternation to a mechanism for imparting reciprocatory movement to the case receiver or carriage.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a somewhat schematic and partially exploded isometric view of the improved apparatus showing the inverter carriage in case receiving position and also showing an electrical circuit for operating various elements of the apparatus;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic plan view of a conveyor system showing the improved case inverting apparatus associated therewith;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the case inverting apparatus looking substantially along line 33 in FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the structure shown in FIGURE 3 with parts broken away for purposes of clarity;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view, mostly in elevation, taken substantially along line 5-5 in FIGURE 4, and showing the carriage in case receiving position in solid lines and in case inverting position in broken lines.

Referring more specifically to the drawings; FIGURE 2 in particular, the numerals 10 and 11 broadly designate respective feed and discharge conveyors between which a carriage, broadly designated at 12 and comprising the novel inverting apparatus, is normally positioned for receiving cases C, one at a time. Conveyor 10 is driven in timed relation to oscillation of carriage 12 and conveyor 11 is preferably in the form of a roller conveyor. Of course, conveyor 11 may also be in the form of a driven conveyor.

Conveyor 10 comprises a pair of endless pliable ele ments which may be in the form of belts, but are shown in FIGURES l and 4 in the form of sprocket chains indicated at 13 and 14. The portions of sprocket chains 13, 14- adjacent carriage 12 are mounted on respective sprocket wheels 15, 16, and the portions of sprocket chains 13, 14 remote from carriage 12 are mounted on sprocket wheels 17, 18. Sprocket wheels 17, 18 may be fixed on a shaft 28 journaled in suitable standards 21.

Sprocket wheels 15, 16 are fixed on a shaft 24 journaled in conveyor frame members or side rails 25, 26 of a conveyor frame and which also form portions of a main frame broadly designated at 27 (FIGURES 3, 4 and 5). Opposed ends of uniformly spaced flight bars 30 are conneoted to sprocket chains 13, 14 and are adaptedto pass above elongated bars, slides or guideways 31 suitably supported between, and immediately beneath the level'of, the upper reaches of conveyor chains 13, 14.

The ingress end of feed conveyor 10 is preferably provided with a downwardly inclined auxiliary-feed roller conveyor 32 on which cases C may be positioned so they will move downwardly and drop onto the slides 31 of conveyor '10, whereby each successive case C or group of cases is engaged by a flight bar 30 to move the same along conveyor 10 to the carriage 12. Relatively small cases C may be arranged on roller conveyor 32 so that each successive flight bar 30 may feed two or more'cases C into carriage 12 with each cycle thereof, without departing from the invention. The discharge end of the inclined roller conveyor 32 is necessarily spaced above the level of conveyor 10 so the flight bars will only engage successive cases which have dropped onto the slides or guideways 31. Since the cases C may be placed directly upon the slides 31 of conveyor 10, a detailed illustration and explanation of roller conveyor 32 is deemed to be unnecessary. Also, although roller conveyor 32 is shown spaced substantially to the left of carriage 12, it is apparent that it may be disposed immediately adjacent the discharge end of feed conveyor 10. Roller conveyor 32 is shown spaced from the discharge end of feed conveyor 10 so that other equipment may be positionedbetween roller conveyor 32 and the discharge end of feed conveyor iii, if desired. The discharge end of discharge conveyor 11 may be supported in any desired manner. It will be observed in FIGURE 4 that .the ingress end of discharge conveyor 11 includes side frame members or rails 34 which are suitably supported on a frame bar or member 36. The side rails 34 of discharge conveyor 11 have opposed ends of longitudinally spaced shafts 37 journaled therein, on each'of which a' plurality of rollers- 48 are mounted.

In this instance, a pair of rollers 41, 42 is journaled in brackets 43, 44 of frame 27. Bracket 44 is suitably secured to an extension of frame member 26 and bracket .43 is suitably secured to a horizontal frame member 45. Opposed ends of frame member 45 are connected to corresponding ends of transverse frame members 46, 47 which are, in turn, suitably secured to an upper substantially rectangular frame portion 50 supported on legs 51. Legs 51 also support a lower or intermediate substantially horizontal and substantially rectangular frame member 52 from which a motor support 53 depends.

For purposes of description, the right-hand side of frame 27 in FIGURE 4 shall be termed as the front of the frame and the left-hand side thereof will be termed as the rear of the frame. The rear upper portion of frame 27 is also provided with a transverse frame member 54 spaced from intermediate transverse frame member 46 so as to provide an opening 55 therebetween through which the carriage 12 may pass during the inverting operation. Frame members 46, 54, and rectangular frame portion 50 defining said opening 55, preferably support upper portions of shield members or plates 56, 57, 58, which preferably extend substantially below the level of the carriage and any case supported thereby when the carriage moves to inverted position (see FIGURE 5).

Carriage 12 is of generally U-shaped construction and includes a lateral wall portion or bottom 60, spaced inner and outer side walls 61, 62 and inturned flanges 6-3, 64 on the normally upper edges or portions of side walls 61, 62. The ingress or case-receiving ends of side walls 61, 62 and flanges 63, 64 are preferably flared outwardly as shown in FIGURE 1 to facilitate reception of cases by carriage 12. Also, the bottom of carriage 12 is preferably normally disposed on a lower level than the discharge end of feed conveyor 10 as best shown in FIG- URE 1. If so desired, suitable slides or runners 65 may be suitably secured to the inner or upper surface of lateral or bottom wall 60 to provide a minimum of traction between successive cases C and carriage 12.

To further assist in retaining each successive bottle case C within carriage 12 during the inverting operation, and to also accommodate successive cases which may vary in width, inner side wall 61 and its respective flange 6-3 are provided with a pair of conjoint openings through each of which a pressure roller 66 and a substantially L-shaped keeper 67 extend. Keepers 67 project inwardly sufficiently to engage the upper edges of corresponding side walls of cases C thereby to insure that the cases C do not fall out of the carriage 12 when carriage 12 is inverted in the event that the corresponding case C may be relatively narrow as compared to the distance between the proximal edges of flanges 63, 64. Each roller 66 and its respective keeper 67 is carried by a pivoted arm 70 which is pivoted for movement about a vertical axis (when carriage 12 occupies case-receiving position), as at 71, on the inner side wall 61. Each arm 70 has an outwardly projecting portion 72 thereon and a tension spring 73 is connected, at opposite ends thereof, to the projections 72 on arms 70 (FIGURES 1 and 4).

It is thus seen that, as each successive case C is deposited upon bottom 60, or its slides 65, one side wall thereof is engaged by pressure roller 66 to urge the other side wall of the corresponding case toward the outer side wall 62 of carriage 12. A suitable slide plate or bar '75 is preferably secured to the inner surface of side wall 62 of carriage C so as to be engaged by the corresponding side wall of case C and to thereby further minimize frictional contact between each successive case C and carriage 12.

The bottom wall 60 of carriage 12 may be suitably secured directly to its supporting means. However, in this instance, side walls 61, 62 are connected to bottom wall 60 by means of a pair of longitudinally extending angle bars 76, 77 which are, in turn, suitably secured to a pair of rocker arms 80. Rocker arms 80 serve as means eccentrically supporting carriage 12 for movement about a substantially horizontal axis. To this end, rocker arms 80 are provided with hubs 81 which are fixed on a substantially horizontal rocker shaft 82 and which are also interconnected by a counter weight 83 on the other side of shaft 82.

Rocker shaft 82 extends parallel to, and to one side of, the longitudinal axis of conveyors 10, 11 and is suitably journaled in bearings 84 carried by frame members 56, 57. Only one of the bearings 84 is shown in FIGURE 5.

The front end of shaft 82 has a gear 86 fixed thereon which meshes with a relatively larger gear 87 fixed on a jack shaft 90 journaled in frame 27. The front end of jack shaft 90 has a crank 91 fixed thereon to which the inner end of a longitudinally extensible connecting rod 92 is pivotally connected. The outer end of connecting rod 92 is pivotally connected, as at 94, in eccentric relation to the axis of an intermittently driven rotary element in the form of a cam or disk 95 fixed on a main drive shaft 96 journaled in bearings 97, 98 (FIGURE 3) carried by frame 27.

Shaft 96 is connected to a single revolution clutch mechanism 101 which may be of a type such as is disclosed in United States Patent No. 2,140,737, granted to R. J. Dickens on December 20, 1938. The housing of clutch 101 is connected to one end of an output shaft 102 of a gear box 104 by means of a suitable flexible coupling 105. Shaft 102 may be termed as a continuously driven motive means.

Gear box 104 is suitably secured upon the lower rectangular portion 52 of frame 27 and has an input shaft 106 projecting therefrom which is continuously driven by an electric motor 107. To this end, electric motor 107 has a shaft 110 projecting therefrom on which a pulley 111 is mounted. Pully 111 is engaged by an endless belt 112 which also engages a pulley 113 fixed on the input shaft 106 of gear box 104. Gear box 104 may also be termed as a gear reduction unit.

The end of shaft 102 opposite from coupling 105 is connected to the housing of an auxiliary single revolution clutch 114 through the medium of a suitable flexible coupling 115. One end of an auxiliary drive shaft 116 extends into clutch 114 and its outer or front portion is journaled in a bearing block 117 carried by frame 27. The rearmost end of auxiliary drive shaft 116 has a bevel gear 120 fixed thereon which meshes with a bevel gear 121 fixed on the corresponding end of conveyor shaft 24. Said corresponding end of conveyor shaft 24 is also journaled in a bearing block 122 suitably secured to a frame member 123 depending from the horizontally disposed frame member 54 heretofore described. Single revolution clutch 114 may also be of the type disclosed in said Patent No. 2,140,737.

The clutches 101, 114 are provided with respective cams or disks 130, 1311, having respective shoulders or notches 132, 133 which are adapted to be engaged by movable stop members or abutments 134, 135. As fully disclosed in said Dickens patent, whenever the shoulders 132, 133 on the disks 130, 131 of clutches 101, 114 are engaged and restrained from movement by abutments 134, 135, this permits continuous rotation of shaft 102 while the main and auxiliary drive shafts 96, 116 are stationary. To further restrain main drive shaft 96 from rotational movement when abutment 134 engages shoulder 132 on disk 130, abutment 134 is connected by an internally threaded crank arm 134a, to a sleeve or hub 136 which is loose on a shaft 137. Hub 136 also has an arm 139 thereon which forms, or is provided with, an abutment 140 for engaging a shoulder 141 on a cam or disk 142 fixed on main drive shaft 96.

It will be noted that disk 95 also has a shoulder 143 thereon which is adapted to be engaged by an abutment 144 adjustably mounted in a crank arm 145 loosely mounted on a shaft 146. Shaft 146 is suitably secured to the front end of rectangular frame portion 50 of frame 27, as best shown in FIGURES 3 and 4.

It will be noted that shoulder 143 faces in the opposite direction from shoulders 132, 141, and thus prevents backlash of shaft 96 each time it is stopped by engagement of shoulders 132, 141 by respective abutments 134, 140. Since the forces acting upon shaft 96 are repeatedly and suddenly changed in direction, shaft 96 is also preferably provided with a suitable friction braking means embodied in a brake drum 1511 fixed on shaft 96. Brake drum 150 is engaged by a brake band 151. Corresponding ends of brake band 151 may be secured, as at 152 (FIGURE 3) to the lower rectangular frame portion 52- of frame 27. Since the construction of braking devices of this character is well known, a further detailed illustration and description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

Referring to FIGURE 1, it will be noted that abutment 13 5, associated with auxiliary single revolution clutch 114, is in the form of a screw adjustably secured in an arm 135a: carried by a hub 155 which is also loose on the shaft 137. Shaft 137 is fixed in blocks 156, 157 carried by frame 27. Hubs 136, 155 also have respective actuating arms or bars 160, 161 projecting outwardly therefrom across, and above the level of, the respective main and auxiliary drive shafts 96, 1116 and respective clutches 101, 114. The free end portions of arms 160, 161 rest upon electrically controlled, fluid-pressureoperated plungers 162, 163 which extend downwardly through respective cylinders 164, 165, to the bottom of which fluid pressure is introduced by respective conduits 166, 167. Conduits 166, 167 are connected to a suitable source of fluid pressure 168, such as compressed air. Conduits i166, 167 are connected to cylinders 164, 165 by means of respective electrically operated or solenoid valves 170, 171. When energized, valves 170, 171 permit fluid pressure to flow into cylinders 164, 165 and to move the respective plungers 161, 162 upwardly. Conversely, when valves 170, 171 are deenergized, they are closed and plungers 162, 163 then move downwardly, generally under the influence of a spring. Since dilferent types of electrically operated devices, such as solenoids, may be used to perform the function of plungers 162, 163, a detailed description and illustration thereof is deemed unnecessary. By way of example, as illustrated, the valves 170, 171 may be of a type such as is manufactured by Skinner Chuck Company, New Britain, Connecticut, and as disclosed in their catalog No. Dl-1955, entitled Skinner Electric Valves.

Also, the cylinders 164, 165 and associated plungers 152, 153 may be of a type such as is manufactured by Bumba Hardware & Manufacturing Company, 101 Main Street, Monee, Illinois, and disclosed in their'catalog No. 2158, entitled Low Cost Air Cylinders With Stainless Steel Bodies.

Electrical Circuit connected to lead conductor 176, and the end of con:

ductor 185 remote from switch B is connected to one side of a normally open article or case-operated switch 186. Lead conductor 176 is connected to the other side of normally open switch 186. Switch 186 serves as a.

means, responsive to reception of a case C by carriage 12, for initiating movement of carriage 12.

Although switch B is normally urged to opened posi tion, as by a spring s, it is held in closed position while the machine is idle by suitable means embodied in an arm 187 (FIGURE 1) fixed on a shaft 190 (FIGURES 1 and 4) journaled in a switch housing 191. Switch housing 191 is mounted on a bracket 192 fixed to frame member 47 of main frame 27. Shaft 1190 has a follower 193 extending therefrom which is normally engaged, and held in downward position by, a switch control arm or crank 194 fixed on rocker shaft 90.

Referring to the left-hand central portion in FIGURE 1, it will beobserved that normally open switch A is provided with a switch arm 195 which is adapted to be momentarily engaged and moved to closed position at intermittent intervals by a lobe 196 on a switch control cam 197 fixed on auxiliary drive shaft 116.

As is clearly shown in said Dickens Patent No. 2,140,737, cam 13*1 moves slightly relative to the housing of single revolution clutch 114- when clutch 114 is disengaged, and, at this time, means may be provided to prevent backlash of shaft 116 and conveyor 10. To this end, it Will be observed in the right-hand central portion of FIGURE 5 that auxiliary drive shaft 116 also has a cam 200 fixed thereon and provided with a shoulder 201 disposed in opposite relation to the shoulder 133 on cam 131 of clutch 114. As auxiliary drive shaft 114 comes to rest, an abutment 202 is moved into'engagement with shoulder 201 by means of a tension spring 203.

One end of tension spring 203 may be connected to an arm 204 in which the reduced corresponding end of abutment 2112 is threaded. The other end of tension spring 262 may be connected to a bracket 205 which also serves as a support for switch A. Bracket 205 is suitably secured to the upper substantially rectangular portion of main frame 27. Arm 204 is loosely mounted on stationary shaft 137 heretofore described.

Briefly stated, each time a case C is deposited upon feed conveyor 10, the flight bars 30 are advanced a distance substantially equal to the distance between adjacent flight bars (FIGURE 2). This deposits an empty case C on the rails or slides 65 on the bottom of carriage 12, as shown in FIGURE 5. The latter case simultaneously pushes a preceding case off the carriage 12. The case C may or may not contain empty bottle cartons such as those shown in FIGURES and indicated at C-1. As each successive case Cis deposited in the carriage 12, the arms 80 which support carriage 12, rotate substantially a half revolution to the broken line position shown in FIGURE 5 and then return to the solid line position. This operation occurs quite rapidly so as to impart a substantial jolt to the case as the carriage moves with arms 80 and reaches the inverted broken line position shown in FIGURE 5 and then immediately moves in the opposite direction-to return to the solid line position.

It follows that this jars any small particles of dirt, trash or any other foreign matter out of the case so that such matter falls onto the floor beneath the machine,"

or into a suitable container beneath the machine.

It will be noted that, in order to prevent the cartons C 1 from falling out of each successive case C as his inverted to the broken line position shown in FIGURE 5,

side walls 61, 62 of carriage 12 are provided with respective upwardly converging pairs of bars 191 whose free ends are interconnected by tension springs 192, 193 extending across carriage 12. Thus, the handle portions projecting from the bodies of the cartons C-l bear against springs 192, 193 whenever a corresponding case C is in verted to the broken line position shown in FIGURE 5 and returned to upright position. Of course, whencases' do not have cartons, such as cartons C11 therein, the bars 190, 191 and springs 192, 193 may be omitted.

To explain the operation of the present apparatus in greater detail, it is to be assumed that a carton C'is positioned in advance of each of the top flight bars 30, With the exception of the flight bar 30 in the extreme lefthand portion of FIGURE 2. Thus, a carton is positioned so as to be moved onto carriage 12 as a carton passes from roller conveyor 32 onto feed conveyor 10. As the latter case C drops onto feed conveyor 10, it closes normally opened switch 186 which, as shown in FIG- URE 2, is so supported between the slide rails 31 of conveyor as to be engaged and closed by each successive case falling off of the discharge end of the auxiliary feed conveyor 32,

The closing of switch 186 imparts a step in movement to sprocket chains 13, 14 and flight bars 30 of feed conveyor 10. This is caused by current flowing from plug 177, through lead wire 176, through switch 186 (FIG- URE 1), conductor 185, switch 3, conductor 183, solenoid valve 171, conductor 181 and lead conductor 175 to the plug 177. 'It is thus seen that solenoid valve 171 is energized, and opened, to permit fluid pressure to flow into cylinder 175 through conduit 176 and thereby move upwardly plunger 163. In so doing, arm 161 is moved upwardly by plunger 163 to thus move abutment 135 out of engagement with the shoulder 133 on cam or disk 131 of the single revolution clutch 114.

Since shaft 102 is continuously driven by intervening connections between gear box 104 and electric motor 107, when abutment 135 moves out of engagement with shoulder 133 on cam 131, this engages or actuates clutch 114 to impart rotation to auxiliary drive shaft 116. It is apparent from the foregoing description that shaft 116 imparts rotation to shaft 24 to impart intermittent movement to feed conveyor 10.

This also imparts rotation to switch control cam 197. Thus, as shaft 116 approaches the completion of a single revolution, the lobe 196 on cam 197 engages follower arm 195 and, thus, closes normally open switch A. This immediately initiates rotation of the main drive shaft 96 in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIGURE 1.

The closing of switch A initiates rotation of shaft 96 due to the fact that current flows from plug 177 through lead conductor 176, conductor 184, switch A, conductor 182, solenoid valve 170, conductor 180 and lead conductor 175 to the other side of plug 177. This opens solenoid valve 170 to permit fluid pressure to enter the lower end of cylinder 164 and to cause plunger 162 to move upwardly and raise the corresponding end of arm 160 therewith.

As arm 160 moves upwardly, this moves abutments 134, 140 upwardly and away from shoulders 132, 141 on the respective cams 130, 142. This engages clutch 101 to cause main drive shaft 96 to rotate a single revolution as rotation is imparted thereto from the shatf 102 of gear box 104, through the medium of single revolution clutch 101. It is apparent that disk or cam 95 also rotates with shaft 96 so as to impart movement to shaft 90. Shaft 90 first moves in a clockwise direction in FIGURE 1 to thus move switch control arm 194 out of engagement with follower 193 to, in turn, permit switch B to be opened by spring s.

Although auxiliary drive shaft 116 continues to rotate for a short interval after switch B is opened, it will be observed in FIGURE 2 that successive cases C are spaced from the preceding flight bars so that no case may be moved into the path of carriage 12 while it is in the course of movement. The auxiliary drive shaft 116 move sufficiently, following the opening of switch B, to move cam 196 out of engagement with switch A to again permit switch A to open.

Now, upon switch B being opened, solenoid valve 171 is closed to permit fluid pressure to escape from cylinder 165 and thereby permit plunger 163 and the corresponding end of arm 161 to move downwardly. The free end of abutment 135 then engages the periphery of cam 131 and, subsequently, abutment 135 engages shoulder 133 to break the connection between shaft 102 and auxiliary drive shaft 116.

Since connecting rod 92 is connected to earn or disk 95 in eccentric relation to the axis thereof, it is apparent that shaft moves a predetermined distance in a clockwise direction in FIGURE 1 and then reverses its movement and returns to its original position. In so doing, gear 87 rotates gear 86 and shaft 82. Since arms 80 are fixed on shaft 82, the arms 80 impart movement to the carriage 12 and the corresponding case deposited therein substantially in an arcuate path as indicated by the arrows in the upper portion of FIGURE 5, and then returns the carriage 12 to the solid line position. If so desired, a cushion block 210 may be positioned upon a bar 211 fixed to the frame member 26 to thus cushion the return of carriage 12 to its normal case receiving position. Further, cushion block 210 assists in stopping carriage 12 so it occupies case-receiving position each time it is returned from dumping position.

As heretofore stated, switch A is opened shortly after initiation of a revolution of main drive shaft 96. It follows, therefore, that abutments 134, then bear against the peripheries of the respective cams 130, 142 so as to engage the respective shoulders 132, 141 on cams 130, 142, upon completion of a revolution by main drive shaft 96. The single revolution clutch 101 operates in the identical manner described with respect to single revolution clutch 114 and, accordingly, a further description thereof is deemed unnecessary. It is thus seen that the various elements are returned to the position shown in FIGURE 1 to complete a cycle in the operation of the apparatus.

After the carriage 12 has completed a cycle and returned to case-receiving position, as shown in FIGURE 1 and in solid lines in FIGURES 4 and 5, the next succeeding case C on feed conveyor 10, engages and pushes the case which has been inverted and returned to upright position out of the carriage 12, onto rollers 44 and thus onto the roller discharge conveyor 11, this occurring as the next succeeding cycle in the operation of the apparatus is eifected by closing conveyor switch 186 (see lefthand portion of FIGURE 2). Discharge conveyor 11 is preferably inclined downwardly so successive cases move along conveyor 11 by gravity. Of course, as heretofore stated, conveyor 11 may be in the form of a belt-type conveyor or may be of the same type as the feed conveyor 10. Further, it is apparent that switch 186 may be positioned adjacent the discharge and of feed conveyor 10, if desired, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and description sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for inverting and dumping foreign matter out of bottle cases and the like, comprising a frame, a substantially horizontal shaft journalled in said frame, a substantially U-shaped carriage having bottom and opposed side walls, said bottom wall having a lateral extension mounted on said shaft for connecting said carriage to said shaft in laterally off-set relation so the carriage occupies a position in spaced parallel relation to said shaft, means for intermittently feeding cases into said carriage while said carriage occupies a substantially horizontal case-receiving position to one side of said shaft, means operable in timed relation to said intermittent feeding means for moving said carriage through an arc of substantially at a speed sufficiently rapid so that the inertia of the bottle case will maintain the same in engagement with the bottom wall of said carriage subing and away from the bottom wall of the carriage, and means carried by the sidewalls of said carriage and paced from the bottom wall a distance greater than the height of the case for limiting said movement of the case away from the bottom wall of the carriage, said movement limiting means being adapted to be struck by the case when the same moves a predetermined distance from the bottom wall of the carriage to impart a considerable jolt or jarring force to the carriage to loosen and dispel any foreign matter contained therein, said carriage moving means instantly moving said carriage back to the case-receiving position upon stoppage thereof at the end of the are.

2. The structure recited in claim 1 wherein said case limiting means comprises a flange carried by each of the side walls of said carriage and projecting inwardly therefrom into overlying relation to the bottom wall and into overlying relation to any bottle case disposed on the bottom wall of the carriage.

3. A structure according to claim 1 in which said means for feeding cases comprises an intermittently driven feed conveyor alined with said carriage when said carriage occupies receiving position for moving successive cases onto said carriage while pushing off of the carriage, cases previously received by the carriage, and a discharge conveyor adjacent the end of the carriage opposite from the feed conveyor for receiving cases pushed from said carriage.

4. A structure according to claim 1 in which at least one side wall of said carriage is provided with means to yieldably engage a corresponding side of each successive case fed to the carriage to thereby compensate for variation in width of successive cases and to resiliently urge the case against the other side wall of said carriage to thereby aid in maintaining the case on the bottom wall of the carriage during movement thereof through the are until said carriage is stopped at the end of the arc.

5. A structure according to claim 1 wherein said means for feeding cases comprises a feed conveyor, means to intermittently drive said conveyor including an auxiliary drive shaft, a continuously driven motive means, a normally disengagedsingle revolution clutch connecting said motive means with said shaft, means for activating said single revolution clutch, whereby a single revolution is imparted to said shaft to impart a step in movement to said conveyor, said means operable in timed relation to said intermittent feeding means comprising a main drive shaft, a second normally disengaged single revolution clutch connecting the main drive shaft with said motive means, mechanical connections be tween said main shaft and said first-mentioned shaft and including means for converting rotary motion to reciprocatory motion, and means responsive to a predetermined amount of movement of said auxiliary drive shaft for activating the second single revolution clutch for effecting a single revolution to said main drive shaft.

6. A structure according to claim 1 in which said feeding means comprises an endless conveyor, means for imparting intermittent movement to said conveyor comprising a continuously driven motive means, a first normally inactive single revolution clutch operatively connecting said motive means with said conveyor, electrically operable means for activating said first clutch upon a case being positioned upon said conveyor, mechanical connections between said motive means and said firstnamed shaft and including means for converting rotary motion to reciprocatory motion, a second normally inactive single revolution clutch interposed between said motive means and the last-mentioned mechanical connections, and electrically operable means responsive to predetermined movement of said conveyor for activating said second single revolution clutch for imparting a single jolting reciprocation to said carriage.

7. A structure according to claim 6 including means responsive to al-predetermined amount of movement of said mechanical connections between the motive means and the carriage for rendering inoperative said firstnamed electrically operable means and to thereby inactivate said first single revolution clutch.

8. Apparatus for inverting opened-topped articles, such as bottle cases, to dump any dust and other foreign matter out of such articles, said apparatus comprising a movable carriage mounted on a substantially horizontal axis, said carriage normally occupying substantially horizontal position for receiving a case therein, a feed conveyor for feeding cases, one at a time, into said carriage, means for intermittently driving said conveyor including a shaft, a continuously driven motive means, a first single revolution clutch connecting said motive means with said shaft, a second shaft, a second single revolution clutch connecting the second shaft with said motive means, means responsive to rotation of said second shaft for inverting and imparting reciprocatory motion to said carriage about said axis while maintaining the bottom of the carriage in parallel relationship with a radial line extending outwardly from said axis, means under control of an article on said conveyor for actuating said firstmentioned shaft for imparting a step in movement tov said conveyor and to thereby feed an article into said carriage, and means responsive to a predetermined amount of movement of said conveyor for actuating said second single revolution clutch to impart reciprocatory movementto said carriage and impart a jolting action to the case positioned in said carriage, the jolting action being of sufficient force to thereby remove any loose dust and other foreign matter from the case.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,683,560 Keller July 13, 1954 2,703,182 Broberg Mar. 1, 1955 2,781,029 Uhrich Feb. 19, 1957 2,805,785 Preuss Sept. 10, 1957 2,832,090 Ross Apr. 29, 1958 

